Akasha is a character from the series The Vampire Chronicles and the very first vampire to ever be created.
History
She was originally from Uruk (modern-day Iraq), and rose to become a queen in Kemet (the land that would eventually become Egypt). She and her husband, King Enkil, wanted their people to turn away from their cannibalistic ways and encourage the eating of grains. Rice describes Akasha as a lovely young woman who was "almost too pretty to be truly beautiful, for her prettiness overcame any sense of majesty or deep mystery". She is a fundamentally dark, empty, nihilistic person with no sense of morality, ethics, or human compassion, and her actions are almost always based on her insatiable need to fill her own inner emptiness.
Akasha eventually became fascinated by the spirits of the supernatural, forcibly bringing the red-haired witch sisters Maharet and Mekare to her court to commune with these spirits. Against their advice, Akasha forces the witch sisters to seek answers from the spirits to countless shallow questions she asks, but the ensuing answers, some in the form of obscene gestures, ultimately enrage the Queen by confirming her inner emptiness - "She had asked questions of the supernatural, a very foolish thing to do, and she had received answers which she could neither accept nor refute". One spirit in particular, a bloodthirsty, aggressive entity called Amel, threatens Akasha and ultimately stages a weak but demonstrative attack against her. Akasha, in turn, has Mekare and Maharet publicly raped by her servant Khayman for their "witchcraft", and banishes them from Kemet.
One year later, the twin witches are recalled to the kingdom by Khayman, where they learn that Amel had kept his presence in the kingdom and that, when the King and Queen were coincidentally assassinated by supporters of cannibalism one night, the spirit of Amel joined with Akasha's soul as it rose from her body, re-entering her body through her wounds and fusing with her heart and brain to create an entirely new being: the vampire. Amel's deadly lust for human blood thus passed to Akasha.
Powers and abilities
Her strength and speed are superior to that of an average vampire. She is also immortal and possesses psychic abilities, such as mind manipulation, telekinesis, etc. She can also kill any vampire at will by making them catch on fire.
Appearances
- The Vampire Chronicles